1-Triacontanol (CH.sub.3 (CH.sub.2).sub.28 CH.sub.2 OH) is known to be a plant growth regulator capable of utility under widely varying conditions and on a wide variety of crop species (See U.S. Pat. No. 4,150,970).
It has now been discovered that 1-triacontanol when applied to plants elicits in situ formation of one or more recoverable plant growth stimulating compounds in said plants. A suitable extract from plants treated with 1-triacontanol is useful for stimulating plant growth.